What troubles me most about Donald Trump is not the stupidity, the narcissism, the lies, the corruption, or even the threat he represents to American democracy. It is the corrosive effect he has on the decency of the people that support him. To put it simply — he brings out the worst in people. A common occurrence at Trump rallies is that the enthusiasm of the crowd intensifies as his rhetoric becomes increasingly hateful and cruel.
Many of us have had the painful experience of witnessing someone that we once regarded as a decent, caring and responsible person become morally diminished by their allegiance to Donald Trump. These individuals are not necessarily the fanatical “true believers” blinded by their loyalty to Trump, but rather supporters and voters who recognize his flaws yet manufacture excuses to convince themselves that character doesn’t matter.
It is not unusual for followers to adopt and internalize the traits of a leader, even if those traits are clearly objectionable. This can lead to a gradual erosion of their own moral values as they begin to justify, or even emulate, the leader’s actions. Loyalty to an individual is prioritized above all else, including commitments to previously held ethical principles or political ideology.
I suspect that many Trump followers are initially drawn to his grandiose personality, especially his insatiable ego and “never apologize” attitude, which they perceive as a sign of strength. Once on board, they are pulled deeper and deeper into the cesspool of Trump-mania and begin to align their own moral values and behavior with those of Donald Trump, sacrificing their core principles to rationalize their continued support.
When Trump denigrated the military sacrifices of John McCain, his followers did not defend the war hero, they defended the draft dodger. While claiming to uphold traditional family values, they are devoted to a man that has boasted about his extramarital affairs and grabbing women “by the pussy”. Merely accepting, let alone defending, these behaviors is a clear sign of moral decline. Perhaps you know someone like this.
One prominent example of this erosion of values is J. D. Vance, the 2024 Republican vice-presidential nominee. Since becoming a Trump ally and Fox News regular, Vance — who once criticized Trump as a potential “moral disaster” — has unhesitatingly adopted the disrespectful and divisive style that characterizes Trump’s approach to politics. Defending the indefensible is something to which J. D. Vance has now become quite accustomed.
Additional examples are not difficult to find. When Donald Trump first appeared on the political scene, Lindsey Graham described him as a “jackass” and a “race-baiting xenophobic bigot”. Ted Cruz called Trump a “pathological liar”, “utterly amoral” and “consistently disgraceful”. Marco Rubio referred to him as a “con artist” and “the most vulgar person to ever aspire to the presidency”. All of these Republican members of the US Senate clearly saw Trump for what he is and yet are now among his most vocal supporters. Of course, neither Graham, Cruz nor Rubio was regarded as a paradigm of integrity in the pre-Trump era, but, still, their opportunistic about-face and unapologetic embrace of Trump, solely for political gain, illustrates the corrosive moral influence that Donald Trump exerts on those who choose to support and defend him.
I don’t expect these politicians to ever admit they were wrong. “Never apologize” is rule #1 in the Trump playbook. I do wonder, however, about everyday people for whom Donald Trump is not a means to power, but simply someone in whom they put too much faith. How deeply and irreversibly has their devotion to him damaged their hearts and minds?
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